"Fathers And Sons"

Out of all of the narratives in Hemingway’s The Nick Adam’s Stories, “Fathers and Sons” remained in my mind the most. Nick’s attempts to improve upon his father’s parenting and become a better role model for his own son are admirable, even if they are not entirely successful. 

One of the strange things about this story is that Nick pays almost no attention to his son for the majority of it. The young boy - whose name we do not learn - must speak up to get his father’s attention, and awake him from his reverie. At surface level, this makes it seem as though Nick too is a poor father. However, his focus is drawn away from his son in this situation because he is remembering his own father, and trying to learn from the mistakes in his upbringing. 

The focus of this story is on the responsibilities that Nick faces as a father. These are examined through his recollection of his own father. The memories of his father’s failures motivate him to be a better role model and source of information for his own son. Where his father gave him misinformation and grief, he hopes to be a more positive influence in his son’s life. He starts this by trying to remove his focus from the negative memories of his father, and to keep that entirely from his son. 

As Nick reminisces about his father, he creates a much more positive image of him than in previous stories. He reflects on his father’s talents as a huntsman, and the fact that he was a sensitive man. When his son awakens, Nick describes the boy’s grandfather with compassion. Nick clearly wants his son to think positively of his grandfather, and to be a better father to him as well. When I read this short story, I was reminded of my own father, and his attitude about my grandfather. Because my dad did not have a good relationship with his dad, I did not know my grandfather before he died. However, when I do hear stories about my grandfather, they are always in a positive light. I hear about his sense of humor, and about how much he would have loved to know me. Like Nick Adams in this story, my dad has shared the good memories he has of his father so that my brother and I will think of him in a positive light.